Press
Release Maui Community Playground Update
Maui's
Community Playground project has been steadily building momentum,
in spite of a change in build dates from the original week this
October to the week after Mother's Day next May (2004). Committee
members say the change in build dates is to facilitate grant writing
possibilities that were not feasible with the original October dates.
The new build dates, May 11th through May 16th, 2004, will allow
sufficient time for fundraising and increased pubic awareness. The
project is completely volunteer-driven. Several of the committee
positions already take significant numbers hours per week. "When
we got to mid-April and realized how far we were from being able
to fund the purchase deadlines coming up in June, we decided to
rethink our project," say General Coordinators River Sussman
and Karen Cooper.
The committee is working with Leathers and Associates, an architectural firm that has facilitated the building of more than 1600 "community-built" playgrounds globally. By creating a six-day event that will result in the building of a unique ADA-accessible playground, designed with the input of hundreds of Maui school children, the committee hopes to enliven a spirit of community cooperation, while also producing a prototype that can be repeated in other communities around Maui County. This first playground will be built at the Fourth Division Marine Park in Haiku. The name of this playground, Kalakupua (Magical) was chosen from submissions by Maui school children.
A committee in Hana has started planning for a second park, to be built in the Fall of 2004. Bob Leathers, founder of Leathers and Associates, will be meeting with Hana school children and community members this September to receive their ideas for the Hana playground design (contact Hana Coordinators Keala Lono at 281-2523, or Lei Perry at 248-8504 for more information).
Most recently, "Partnership for Hawaii"s Keikis," who have been planning a playground for the Wailuku area, have decided that the "community-built" model makes the most sense for them, too, and are now beginning the process as well (contact Wailuku Coordinator Venus Hill at 244-4744).
Kalakupua organizers are thrilled with the prospect of having two more playgrounds follow the first so quickly. According to River Sussman, "We initially thought we would have to get this first playground built to be an example for other communities. Obviously, Maui County has some smart, visionary people who are able to understand how much easier it will be for all of us if we work hand in hand. Now I see us having committees at different stages in place all over the islands before the first playground gets built. We could have ten playgrounds getting built in the next several years. Maui County really needs these playgrounds. We are a recreation destination for the entire world, and we don't have this day-to-day type of recreation for our residents..... Yet."
The budget goal for the Kalakupua playground is $200,000. Maui County has committed $20,000 towards this goal. The Upcountry Rotary Club has donated an additional $10,000. Sponsorship of playground components and pickets for a fence enclosing the toddler area of the playground will bring in another $40,000. The rest will come from additional grants and local fundraisers.
For more information about this project call River Sussman at 280-1874, Karen Cooper at 870-9227, or log on to mauiplayground.org.
The committee is working with Leathers and Associates, an architectural firm that has facilitated the building of more than 1600 "community-built" playgrounds globally. By creating a six-day event that will result in the building of a unique ADA-accessible playground, designed with the input of hundreds of Maui school children, the committee hopes to enliven a spirit of community cooperation, while also producing a prototype that can be repeated in other communities around Maui County. This first playground will be built at the Fourth Division Marine Park in Haiku. The name of this playground, Kalakupua (Magical) was chosen from submissions by Maui school children.
A committee in Hana has started planning for a second park, to be built in the Fall of 2004. Bob Leathers, founder of Leathers and Associates, will be meeting with Hana school children and community members this September to receive their ideas for the Hana playground design (contact Hana Coordinators Keala Lono at 281-2523, or Lei Perry at 248-8504 for more information).
Most recently, "Partnership for Hawaii"s Keikis," who have been planning a playground for the Wailuku area, have decided that the "community-built" model makes the most sense for them, too, and are now beginning the process as well (contact Wailuku Coordinator Venus Hill at 244-4744).
Kalakupua organizers are thrilled with the prospect of having two more playgrounds follow the first so quickly. According to River Sussman, "We initially thought we would have to get this first playground built to be an example for other communities. Obviously, Maui County has some smart, visionary people who are able to understand how much easier it will be for all of us if we work hand in hand. Now I see us having committees at different stages in place all over the islands before the first playground gets built. We could have ten playgrounds getting built in the next several years. Maui County really needs these playgrounds. We are a recreation destination for the entire world, and we don't have this day-to-day type of recreation for our residents..... Yet."
The budget goal for the Kalakupua playground is $200,000. Maui County has committed $20,000 towards this goal. The Upcountry Rotary Club has donated an additional $10,000. Sponsorship of playground components and pickets for a fence enclosing the toddler area of the playground will bring in another $40,000. The rest will come from additional grants and local fundraisers.
For more information about this project call River Sussman at 280-1874, Karen Cooper at 870-9227, or log on to mauiplayground.org.